


Don't Let Go

by love_write_edit_sleep



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-03 16:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13999866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_write_edit_sleep/pseuds/love_write_edit_sleep
Summary: James was always the one to let go. The first time, Meowth was in pain. The second time, he was slowing Jessie down. This third time, however, he didn't want to let go. Not now. Not now he had something to hold on to.





	Don't Let Go

“Hold on, Jimmy!”

“Jessie… Don’t let go!”

“I’m not about to!” Jessie cried, her grip on James’ wrist slacking slightly.

It wasn’t like they were in the middle of a mission, like the other times James had been in peril with Jessie and Meowth being the only things holding him above an almost certain death. No, they’d been walking along the cliff-tops towards the Pokémon centre to heal their Pokémon.

James had just made a joke, causing Meowth and Jessie to laugh. It was like a happy scene from a movie, until the ground James was walking on gave way and tumbled down the cliff-face. It was pure luck that Jessie caught him as quickly as she did, but it wasn’t quick enough to keep him from falling.

Now James was hanging off the cliff-edge, Jessie and Meowth gripping his arm tight in a desperate attempt to pull him up. Jessie strained, her eyes closed as she put every ounce of effort into pulling her partner back up the cliff.

_ ‘Jessie… Don’t let go!’ _

James had never, in his previous near-death situations, asked Jessie to save him. He’d sacrificed himself, or intended to, without a second thought. The first time, they were unprepared. The second time, they were hopeful.

This time, they were desperate.

Jessie opened her eyes, her heart aching when she saw James looking down at the ground in a mix of fear and acceptance.

“I’m not letting you go, James.” Jessie told him, causing James to look up. “So… don’t you dare even think about letting go again!”

“Okay.” James forced a smile and gripped tighter to Jessie’s wrist.

“Dis would be much easier if ya wasn’t so heavy!” Meowth joked. James chuckled.

James wasn’t heavy; In fact, he was too light for Jessie liking, but being homeless and with limited access to food wasn’t something that could be helped. Besides, they liked it that way, and when they came across food eventually, they feasted like royalty.

Eventually, Jessie found a good grip and pulled James up as hard as she could. James grabbed at the cliff-edge, hauling himself up as Jessie and Meowth pulled him up by his other arm. They all cried out when they all fell back in a small pile.

James chuckled nervously, then he began to laugh hysterically, causing Jessie and Meowth to join in until they were all hugging and crying.

“I thought I was a goner!” James cried, hugging Jessie and Meowth tight.

“I’m offended.” Jessie joked. “Do you really think I’d have dropped you?”

“No.” James beamed. “You never have.”

“And I never will.” Jessie felt herself blush.

“Naw.” Meowth purred. “Jessie’s showin’ an emotion!”

“Meowth.” Jessie hissed through her teeth. Meowth chuckled nervously.

“Thank you…” James whispered, clinging to jessie.

“Yeah, well… we’re not going to be the best trio in the world if there’s only two of us.” Jessie muttered. “Um… you can let go of me now.”

“Oh, right, s-sorry.” James pulled away awkwardly, brushing his hair back as his eyes locked momentarily with Jessie’s. Jessie caught sight of the tears in James’ eyes, but he wiped them away with his sleeve before Jessie could say anything. “Let’s get going, yeah?”

* * *

The remainder of their journey was quiet. James walked further away from the edge, which pushed Jessie into the forest slightly but, considering the circumstances, she didn’t mind. She held Meowth, who had fallen asleep, in her arms, using the excuse of ‘he must be exhausted after all that drama’ to use him as a comforter without any suspicion.

It wasn’t long before they reached the Pokémon Centre. 

“Hi! I’m Nurse Jo- Team Rocket?” Nurse Joy gasped. “But-”

“We’re not going to steal any Pokémon.” James assured her. “We just want to heal ours. Please.”

“Oh… Well, let me take a look.” Nurse Joy leaned over the counter and looked Meowth over. “My, it’s exhausted… We have rooms set up for this sort of thing.” Nurse Joy took Meowth from Jessie’s arms and handed him over to a Chansey. “Take him to a room to rest.” She ordered.

“Chansey!” Chansey beamed before taking Meowth off down a corridor.

“Do you want to heal the rest of your Pokémon?” Nurse Joy asked. Jessie and James nodded, removing their pokéballs from their pockets. “Okay, I’ll take your Pokémon for a few seconds.” Nurse Joy took James’ pokéballs first, putting them on the healing machine and waiting a few seconds. She handed them back and did the same with Jessie’s.

“There. Your Pokémon are healed.” Nurse Joy smiled.

“Thank you.” James nodded gratefully.

“I probably shouldn’t do this… but if you want to stay the night with your Meowth, you can stay in it’s room. I’m afraid we don’t have any spare beds, but there’s meant to be a storm tonight. It’ll be safer for you to stay.”

“Is this a trick?” Jessie asked. “Because if you’re just keeping us here so you can call Officer Jenny-”

“Jessie…” James whispered, placing his hands on her arms.

“As far as I’m concerned, you haven’t stolen any Pokémon, so I have no need to contact Officer Jenny.” Nurse Joy crossed her arms. “I may not appreciate Pokémon thieves but I’m not a monster.”

“Thank you.” James nodded gratefully. Jessie sighed.

“Yes, thank you.”

“I’ll take you to it’s room.”

* * *

Jessie sat silently in an armchair beside Meowth’s bed, her knees pulled to her chest, watching the Pokémon’s chest rise and fall as he slept peacefully. She glanced over her shoulder at James, who was sitting on the windowsill, watching the storm outside. Jessie turned back to Meowth.

“James?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m…” Jessie paused, not knowing how to finish.

“You’re what?” James prompted.

“I’m glad you didn’t let go.” Jessie muttered. James smiled to himself, but kept looking out the window.

“Me too.”

“But why?” Jessie asked, turning in her chair. James looked up at that and locked eyes with Jessie.

“What do you mean?”

“You never wanted me to save you before.” Jessie whispered. “You let go the last two times. Why didn’t you this time?”

“Did you… want me to let go?” James asked.

“No! No, I didn’t mean that.”

“I’m confused…”

“I don’t know what I mean.” Jessie growled, turning back to Meowth. “Just forget it.”

It was silent for a long moment, until James spoke up.

“I had a reason to hold on.”

“Wh-what…?”

“Before, when I let go, I-I didn’t have a reason to hold on. The first time, Meowth was in pain, and I was slowing you down. It made sense to let go. I had nothing to hold onto anyway, well, unless you include Meowth’s tail.” James laughed at his own joke. “The second time, I was going to get you caught. I didn’t want that… So I let go. But then you caught me.”

“Of course I did.” Jessie grumbled.

“I didn’t want to let go this time because… Well, because I had a reason to hold on.”

“And what was that?”

“You.” James whispered. Jessie gasped, a blush forming on her cheeks.

“What…?”

“I think… I think I love you, Jessie.” It was silent for a moment, James looking hopefully at Jessie, who was gobsmacked. Suddenly, she turned away and crossed her arms.

“Well, that was a stupid thing to go and do, now, wasn’t it?”

“I know…” James muttered, turning to look back out the window. He knew Jessie would reject him. He was way too far out of her league. Jessie deserved someone who could buy her the luxuries in life, not someone who could barely afford to feed himself. 

Maybe if he married Jessabelle, he could pass on half his inheritance to Jessie, then she wouldn’t even need a man to be happy. But would he survive being married to Jessebelle? He shuddered at the thought of her whip, her vileplume, her sadistic and uncaring nature.

“But…” Jessie broke the silence. “I think I love you too, James…”

“Wh-what…?” James looked up. Jessie smiled confidently.

“Yes. I love you, James.”

“B-b-b-but why me? You deserve more than me…” James whispered.

“Well… What do I deserve?”

“You deserve someone who can buy you nice clothes and jewellery, and who can take you out for dinner, and who can look after you, someone who makes you feel good, makes you laugh and makes you feel like the most important person in the world, and makes you think… ‘I want to be with him for the rest of my life’.”

“James.” Jessie interrupted him. “You’ve made me jewellery before. Remember that lucky bracelet you made? And you put the ruby you found in the mines on it. I always carry that around.” Jessie pulled the bracelet out her skirt pocket to show him. “And you’ve shared your meals with me more times than I can remember. You gave you your entire meal when I was sick that one time, remember? You looked after me then.”

“But-”

“And… When I’m with you, I feel like it doesn’t matter what I say or do, because you won’t judge me. Sometime… I feel like I don’t look good enough in my disguises… But then you come in dressed in a tutu or a ballgown or…” Jessie laughed. “Or a wedding dress. And I know that if you can pull those off, I must look fine.”

“Jessie…”

“You’re the funniest, sassiest, most gentle and kind person I know. I feel I feel like we can conquer the world! We’re the best team in the universe! And… I never want that to end. So, surely I deserve you, right?”

“Right.” James choked happily, wiping tears from his eyes. “Oh, Jessie…”

“Come here, you silly thing.” Jessie smiled fondly, standing from her chair and approaching James. James cried out happily and threw his arms around her neck, hugging her tight. Jessie laughed, hugging him back. “I’ll never let go, James.”

“Neither will I.” James sighed.

Neither noticed Meowth watching them both with a smile on his face.


End file.
